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Ginowan Police arrests heavy-duty thieves

Date Posted: 2003-08-30

Ginowan Police arrested Monday a 40-year-old Vietnam born trading company president and a 45-year-old Naha man for allegedly stealing and selling as many as 300 excavators and other heavy construction machines.

Investigators say Genryu Itokazu stole the machines from dealers and manufacturers in Tokyo, Osaka and other large cities in Japan. He reportedly went to lots where the machines were stored and drove one on a trailer he had prepared for the purpose. He then drove the trailer and the stolen machine on a ferry that was heading to Okinawa or one of the Southeast Asian countries.

Investigators say that he usually stole the machines after receiving an order from Juon Vin Vanh who acted as an intermediary. The police say that Vin Vanh usually paid Itokazu Y1,200,000 for each machine and then sold them to construction companies at higher prices.

The police say that they were taken by surprise how boldly the thieves operated. They say that the crime has been going on for years, and the culprits made hundreds of millions in profits over the time. They also did not have lack of customers who were willing to buy machines without a concern for their origin as long as the price was right. “We don’t care where the machines come from as long as we can use them and the price is cheap as new excavators are way too expensive,” one Okinawan construction company president said.